Apparatus for treating liquids with radiation



Dec. 11, 1951 w. P. DE s'rou'rz APPARATUS FOR TREATING LIQUIDS WITHRADIATION Filed Nov. 2, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet l ii. 1L!

[In enter WILLIAM PA TRICK 0s J'raorz I) M Ms fi:

Afforney:

Dec. 11, I951 w. P. DE STOUTZ 2,577,879

APPARATUS FOR TREATING LIQUIDS WITH RADIATION Filed Nov. 2, 1945 4Sheets-Sheet 2 m/VM foe Maw/v flwirm 05 5/002? Dec. 11, 1951 w. P. DESTOUTZ 2,577,879

APPARATUS FOR TREATING LIQUIDS WITH RADIATION Filed Nov. 2, 1945 4Shets-Sheet 5 Fig.4.

Dec. 11, 1951 w. P. DE STOUTZ APPARATUS FOR TREATING LIQUIDS WITHRADIATION 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 2, 1945 IN V EN TOR. WilliamPatrick de Siva ZZ BY WW JIGENIZS.

Patented Dec. 11, 1951 ()FFlCE APPARATUS FOR TREATING LIQUIDS WITHRADIATION William Patrick dc Stoutz, Lausanne, Switzerland ApplicationNovember 2, 1945, Serial No. 626,278 In France October 24, 1944 Section1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires October 24, 1964 4Claims.

The invention relates to apparatus for treating liquids with radiation,particularly for sterilizing and irradiating difi'erent liquidsubstances or liquids of different viscosities.

The treatment of liquids with thermic, infrared, ultraviolet or otherradiation is usually carried out by circulating the liquids throughtubes having w-alls permeable to the desired radiation. Whereverpossible, capillary tubes are used to ensure that all portions of thecirculating liquid come in contact with the Walls of the tubes and areeificiently subjected to the irradiation. The provision of capillarytubes makes it also possible to operate with high rates of flow so as toavoid overexposure of the treated liquids to the irradiation and toobtain at the same time, economical installations.

For the treatment of viscous liquids, capillary tubes are unsuitablebecause they would obstruct the free circulation of the liquid to betreated.

It will be noted that the rate of flow of a liquid to be irradiatedthrough a given set of tubes of small diameter will be a function of theviscosity of the liquid. For this reason, irradiation devices of thetype described are mostly suitable for the treatment of a particularliquid only and cannot be used without substantial modifications andadjustments for the treatment of liquids having a different viscosity.

It is a particular object of the invention to provide an apparatus whichcan readily be used for the irradiation of liquids having widelydiffering viscosity characteristics.

Another object of the invention is to provide such an apparatus in whichthe length of travel of the liquid through the irradiation zone isadjustable.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus whereinsets of radiation perm-eable tubes are readily replaceable by other setsof such tubes having difierent lengths anddiarneters.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the specification and claims.

In order to accomplish the objects recited hereinabove, the novelapparatus consists of at least one pair of spaced collect rs for theliquid to'be irradiated; said collectors extend parallel and opposite toeach ctherand are connected by a plurality of radiation permeable tubesin which the liquid is subjected to irradiation. Transverse partitionsare provide in each collector in staggered relationship to correspondingpartitions in the opposite collector; these partitions dividethecollectors compartments and prolong the length of travel of the liquidthrough the apparatus.

The distance between said opposite collectors is made adjustable so asto be able to accommodate therebetween sets of tubes of differentdimensions, and means are provided in the inner walls of said collectorsfor tightly seating said tubes.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference is had to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a vertical cross section of a collector showing the adjustablefluid-tight mounting of the tubes in the wall of the collector;

Fig. 2 is a front view of a portable installation according to theinvention;

Fig. 3 is a side View of the same installation;

4 is a front view of the apparatus, parts broken away and parts shown insection;

Fig. 5 is a cross section thereof;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of the apparatus taken in the plane ofthe junction of the two parts forming the upper collector, one of saidparts being partly taken away to show the partitions, and

Fig. 7 is a section through an apparatus according to the inventionshowing the flow of the liquid regulated by the partitions.

The apparatus of the invention consists of two parallel horizontallyspaced collectors I and 2 which are connected by radiation permeabletubes 3, for instance of quartz.

The collectors are arranged in frames 58, which are secured by screwsill to supports 1 I, so as to form a rig-id unit (Fig. 4).

In order to vary the length of time during which the liquids may besubjected to irradiation, the bundle of tubes 3 is divided into groupsinto which the liquid enters successively so as to travel therethroughin series and in alternately inverse directions. For this purpose,partitions or baffle plates 55 (Figs. 6 and 7) are provided in thecollectors, whereby the partitions in one collector are disposed instaggered relationship to the partitions in the opposite collector. Thepartitions are, for instance, gasket-like discs and stationary orpreferably mounted for longitudinal adjustment on rods 3, so as to beshiftable with light friction along the collectors. In this way, thepath of the liquid through the installation may be adjusted inaccordance with the nature of the particular liquid to be treated. Therods 58 are mounted as shown in Fig. 6 or may form part of plugs 58,closing one end of the collectors.

According to the embodiment of the invention shown by way of example inFig. 7, three compartments are provided in each collector. As indicatedby the arrows, the medium flows first from the top collector I to thebottom collector 2, through the first group of tubes, flows in the nextgroup of tubes from the bottom to the top, and finally flows through thethird group of tubes back to the bottom collector from which it iswithdrawn.

Fig. 2 shows a similar installation where the liquid enters into thebottom collector and is withdrawn from the top collector.

In order to enable a ready access to the tubes and their replacement byother tubes, at least one of the collectors may be displaced or removedby loosening the screws IIJ. In addition, for instance the uppercollector may be composed of two half shells which are detachablysecured together by any suitable means, such as screws I2 or boltspassing through flanges I3 provided on each of said half shells oneither side of the assembly plane (Figs. 1 and The collectors areprovided with means enabling the seating of different tubes Which arecalibrated for the optimum rate of flow of the liquid to be treatedthrough the apparatus. As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, each of the collectorsmay have a longitudinal ridge 4 provided with ducts or passages 5. Theseducts may be arranged in quincunxial order and on two parallel planesfor each of the collectors I and 2. Each of the ducts 5 opens into arecess 6 provided with a resilient stuffing I, which has an axialpassage 8 corresponding to the passage 5. Each of the passages 8 flaresoutwardly to form a tight seating for the frusto-conical ends of thetubes 3.

This arrangement makes it possible to connect the collectors with tubesof varying diameters and lengths while securing a fluid-tight seat ofthe truncated ends of said tubes in the stufiing boxes 1. On the otherhand, the tubes may be readily removed and replaced by spacing thecollectors farther apart.

The radiation source is, e. g.-, represented by mercury vapor lamps I5secured by suitable fastening elements I4 to the flanges I3 of thecollectors.

The Whole irradiating unit is enclosed in a housing I which is composedof symmetrical portions fitting into ferrules I1 secured to thecollectors I and 2.

The walls of the housing I6 are shaped to act as reflectors for theradiation. The housing is preferably hermetically closed so that theinside may be put under a more or less high vacuum or filled with asuitable gas. This makes it necessary to provide for fluid-tightpassages not only for the circulation of the liquid but also for theelectric conductors for the mercury lamps. A fluid-tight electricconnection between a source of electric current and the mercury vaporlamps is shown, by way of example, in Fig. 4. Plugs I9 extend axiallythrough an insulating hood 25 provided on the wall of the housing It.These plugs I9 are inserted in sockets 2| carried individually bylead-in bushings 22 made of insulating material and fastened to the wallof a chamber containing an electric generator 23, for instance atransformer. The latter is, according to the embodiment shown in Fig. 3,located inside a housing 24 which carries and supports the housing I6. Avertical partition 25 separates the compartment 26 containing thetransformer from an adjoining compartment 21 in which an electricallyoperated motor pump 28 and a reservoir 29 are installed together with acorresponding system of pipes.

The delivery end of the motor pump 28 is connected through a filter, aremovable pipe 3| and a valve 32 with one end of the lower collector ofthe irradiation unit. The liquid to be irradiated is pumped through thegroups of tubes 3 and leaves finally the unit from the top collectorthrough a removable fitting and valve 33, and a pipe 34 to be collectedin the reservoir 29, from which it passes over the connection 35 intothe pump 28.

The liquid may then be pumped through a filter 31 and valve 38, whichform part of a removable fitting, into the other end of the lowercollector 2 and pass through the unit and the top collector I to aremcvabledelivery valve 39. By means of the valves 3233 and 38-39, orother controlling means, it is possible to circulate through theirradiating unit alternately either liquid coming from the pipe 40through the filter 31 or liquid delivered by the pump 28 from thereservoir 29. The liquid contained in this reservoir may be either acleansing agent for the tubes.3 or the fluid to be irradiated.

As indicated hereinabove, this fluid may be circulated in a closedcircuit several times for irradiation in the tubes 3. The arrangementmay also be used to incorporate a gas into the fluid to be irradiated.In this case, the pump 8 serves not only to pump the liquid but also todistribute the gas therein. The pump may also be operated as a water jetair pump to produce a desired vacuum in the housing I6.

An electric heater supplied by the conductors 4| (Fig. 2) may beprovided to heat the liquid contained in the reservoir 29.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the apparatus may be arranged in the form ofa portable irradiation unit by providing the housing 24 with removable,automatically dirigible casters which are equipped with looking brakesand respective control levers 43. Finally, protecting means may beprovided in connection with the manipulation of the electric elements ofthe installation. The drive and control elements are mounted in theupper wall of the housing 24 whereby the lateral parts 0! this wall oneach side 01' the housing l6 are arranged as switch boards; saidelements are protected by covers 44-45 and 46 which are hingedlyconnected to the switch boards and provided with a locking device. Thisdevice is composed of two parallel bolts 48, 49, passing through ribs 41and coupled by a cross-bar 50; the bolts are subjected to the action ofa spring 5| which has the tendency of urging the same to the left-handside (Fig. 5). The corresponding left-hand ends of these bolts areadapted to engage cams 52 mounted upon the axes of articulation for thecovers 44, 45, which protect, on the one hand, the switches for startingthe motor pump 28 and for turning on the heating element for thereservoir, and on the other hand, the control means for the electriccircuits. The right-hand end of the bolt 48 is adapted to engage anddisengage an opening 53 in the cover 46 for locking and unlocking saidcover. This cover controls the access to the transformer 23. It will benoted that this access to the transformer by opening the cover 46 ispossible only when the left-hand covers 44, are closed, and vice versa...J'

The several means and arrangements described are given merely by way ofexample, and it will be understood that details of the apparatus aresusceptible of various modifications without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for treating liquids with radiation comprising at leastone pair of spaced collectors extending parallel and opposite to eachother, a plurality of parallel tubes connecting said collectors, meansto irradiate liquid passing through said tubes, and at least onetransverse partition in each of said collectors dividing the collectorsin compartments, the partitions in one collector being disposed instaggered relationship to the partitions of the opposite collector,thereby prolonging the length of travel of the liquid through theapparatus.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the transverse partitionsof the collectors are displaceable in longitudinal direction.

3. An apparatus for treating liquids with radiation comprising in aclosed housing at least one pair of spaced collectors extending paralleland opposite to each other, a plurality of replaceable radiationpermeable cylindrical tubes connecting said collectors, means fortightly seating tubes of different dimensions in the inner walls of saidcollectors, means for adjusting the distance between said collectors inaccordance with the length of said tubes, longitudinally adjustabletransverse partitions in said collectors dividin the collectors intocompartments, the partitions in one collector being disposed instaggered relationship to the partitions of the other collector, andirradiating means so arranged as to direct the radiation substantiallyupon said tubes.

4. An apparatus for treating liquids with radiation comprising in aclosed housing at least one pair of spaced collectors extending paralleland opposite to each other, a plurality of replaceable radiationpermeable cylindrical tubes with frustoconical ends connecting saidcollectors, resilient gaskets in the inner walls of said collectorspresenting a tight seating for said frustoconical ends of tubes ofdifierent diameters, means for adjusting the distance between saidcollectors in accordance with the length of said tubes, longitudinallyadjustable transverse partitions in said collectors dividing thecollectors into compartments, the partitions in one collector beingdisposed in staggered relationship to the partitions of the othercollector, and irradiating means so arranged as to direct the radiationsubstantially upon said tubes.

WILLIAM PATRICK 1m STOUTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,056,619 Armstrong Mar. 18, 19131,145,140 Henri et al. July 6, 1915 1,339,675 Snelling May 11, 19201,591,174 Mailey July 6, 1926 1,918,081 Blochowiak July 11, 19332,060,865 Henszey Nov. 17, 1936 2,175,682 Chafiee Oct. 10, 19392,298,124 Hartman Oct. 6, 1942 2,340,890 Lang et al. Feb. 8, 1944 OTHERREFERENCES Film Characteristics," H. H. Beck, Hanovia Chemical andManufacturing Co., Newark, N. J and K. G. Weckel, University ofWisccnsin, Madison, Wis, pp. 1251-1254.

Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, vol. 28, No. 11.

